Who Is Bahumi Madisakwane, Somizi Mhlongo’s Daughter?

Bahumi Madisakwane (born 9th February 1995) is a 28 years old South African actress and TV personality better known for being the daughter of popular South African actor Somizi Mhlongo and actress Palesa Madisakwane.

However, despite being the daughter of popular and influential figures in society, Bahumi Madisakwane has decided not to lie behind her parents’ shadow but carve a niche for herself by attempting to be the best in her chosen career and giving it her all. Today, she has begun to achieve her dreams and has starred in some popular projects since she started her career. She has also gained quite a large following, with more than half a million followers on Instagram alone.

Profile Summary of Bahumi Madisakwane

  • Full name: Bahumi Madisakwane
  • Gender: Female
  • Date of Birth: 9th February 1995
  • Bahumi Madisakwane’s Age: 28 years old
  • Place of Birth: Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
  • Nationality: South African
  • Education: Varsity College (Law), AFDA (Film Directing and Writing)
  • Sexual Orientation: Straight
  • Religion: Christian
  • Marital Status: Married
  • Bahumi Madisakwane’s Parents: Somizi Mhlongo and Palesa Madisakwane
  • Bahumi Madisakwane’s Height in Inches: 5 feet 7 inches
  • Bahumi Madisakwane’s Height in Centimeters: 170 cm
  • Famous for: Appearing in the telenovela Keeping Score and the reality show Living the Dream with Somizi
  • Instagram: bahumimhlongo

Bahumi Madisakwane Was Born In Johannesburg

Somizi’s daughter was born in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa’s biggest city and capital of Gauteng province. It is also here that she was raised by her parents. The actress was born on the 9th day of February 1995 and is now 28 years old.

Not much is known about the childhood days of the star South African actress. However, it is believed that she was given the best upbringing as a child.

Inside Her Life With Famous Parents

Bahumi Madisakwane was born to famous parents. Her father is the talented Somizi Mhlongo, a South African actor, media personality, and choreographer who is respected for his art. He gained prominence with his appearance in the musical and political film, Sarafina! and went on to become the lead choreographer for numerous shows and events. He has also starred in other movies, including the popular film Cry, the Beloved Country.

Madisakwane’s mother is Palesa Madisakwane, a South African actress and TV personality who worked for ANN7 as an anchor before it went out of business. She starred as “Thandeka” in the e.tv telenovela Ashes to Ashes and also appeared in the popular series Generations. She is also known for her relationship with Somizi Mhlongo, especially because of the circumstances that led to them parting ways.

Madisakwane’s Parents Were Never Married

Interestingly, even though Bahumi Madisakwane’s parents Somizi Mhlongo and Palesa Madisakwane were head over heels in love at the time they were together, they never got married as they parted ways before that could happen. They didn’t get married because of Somizi Mhlongo’s sexuality. The story goes that when Somizi first met Palesa, he was sure he was not straight but believed that he was actually bisexual.

According to Somizi, it was Palesa who approached him and asked him out. When she told him she liked him, he explained to her that he was bisexual and was even in a romantic relationship with a man already. However, they were so attracted to each other that they sat down to discuss to work things out, They eventually agreed that since Somizi was bisexual and not gay, they could date and keep things sharp between them.

Somizi and Palesa continued dating for some time until Somizi realized that he was completely gay and so could not continue dating Palesa. He told Palesa about his sexual orientation and that they had to stop dating. However, by this time, Palesa was already pregnant with their child who turned out to be Bahumi Madisakwane. When Somizi found out Palesa was pregnant, he explained to her that he was ready to be the child’s father but was no more interested in being in a relationship with her since he was now gay. They both decided to remain friends and raise their daughter together. This is exactly what they did.

It is noteworthy that at the time Bahumi Madisakwane was born in 1995, her parents were still young and working hard to climb to the pinnacle of success in their careers. In fact, Somizi was just about 23 years old at the time and Palesa was just about 20 years old when Bahumi Madisakwane was born.

The Actress Is Very Close To Her Parents

When Bahumi Madisakwane was eventually born, both Somizi and Palesa were there for the child, even though they were separated. They showed the little girl love and joined forces to raise her well, ensuring that she had everything she needed to grow into a well-brought-up woman. For this reason, Bahumi Madisakwane grew up to become very fond of her parents whom she saw very frequently as a child.

The actress is known to be very close to her mother. She has shared videos and photos of them together on social media, especially on the older woman’s birthday. She shares a very striking resemblance to her mother and this has stunned her social media followers over the years.

Bahumi Madisakwane is also close to her father, Somizi. The two have been pictured together on different occasions sharing some awesome father and daughter moments. The actress has been present in Somizi’s life at some of his most important moments. It is noteworthy that after Somizi left Palesa, he found love in Mohale Tebogo Motaung, a South African model and entrepreneur. The two men confirmed they were dating in 2018 and eventually go engaged while on vacation in Paris, France.

Somizi and Mohale eventually got married at a traditional wedding on 28 September 2019, and they had a white wedding on 30th January 2020. Bahumi Madisakwane was right there beside her father during his traditional marriage to Mohale and even moved guests at the wedding to tears when she gave her speech. She expressed immense joy that her father had finally found true love after trying for so long. According to her, she watched the man struggle to find love, considering his sexual orientation and the kind of industry he was in. So, to see him find love and even get married was a very beautiful moment for her. Without a doubt, the actress shares an unbreakable bond with her father.

Bahumi Madisakwane and her father, Somizi

Bahumi Madisakwane Studied Law

Today, many people know that Bahumi Madisakwane is a good actress who has starred in different film projects and still has so much more to offer in that department, but not many know that she actually studied law in school. Not much is known about her elementary education but we know that she had her high school education at Pro Arte Alphen Park, a boarding school that happens to be a semi-private art school English medium co-educational high school situated in the suburb of Menlopark in Pretoria.

While at Pro Arte Alphen Park, Bahumi Madisakwane began to take interest in acting and actually majored in Dramatic Arts and Film-Making as a study field at the school. She also featured in children’s shows, including Snazzy Stories, and also starred in the television Ads for Arrive Alive, a road safety initiative, and Woolworths Holdings Limited, a South African multinational retail company.

When she finished Pro Arte Alphen Park High School, the actress received a scholarship to The New York Film Academy for a Film Producing degree. It was a chance for her to build on her love for acting and she was initially really excited about the prospects of studying film production. However, things took a dramatic turn when the actress later declined the offer and decided to study Law at The IIE’s Varsity College in Pretoria, South Africa.

Her Rise To Fame As An Actress

Even though she chose to study law, Bahumi Madisakwane’s love for acting would eventually overcome her. While she was still at The IIE’s Varsity College trying to get her B. Com Law Degree, the actress began to audition for film roles ad eventually landed her first-ever television acting role after she was cast as a supporting character named Zola in a SABC 2 telenovela called Keeping Score. This was in 2017. The role got her quite some exposure as an actress to watch. Also, the experience in filming the series was so enjoyable for Bahumi Madisakwane and she just knew she was doing the right thing.

Years later, in 2019, Bahumi Madisakwane starred in the first African biopic by BET Africa called Dream: The Lebo Mathosa Story, in which she played the role of the young Lebo Mathosa, a South African kwaito singer regarded to be one of the successful female kwaito artists in an industry dominated by males. Lebo Mathosa sadly died in 2006, leaving fans in grief. Mathosa is actually one of Madisakwane’s idols. Before she died, Madisakwane met Mathosa as a child because she was close to her father, Somizi. She idolized the late singer and loved her style. This was why playing the singer in the biopic was really special to Bahumi Madisakwane.

Recalling how she got the role, Bahumi Madisakwane explained that she got to know about the auditions for the film through a friend who sent her the picture of the audition. She summoned the courage to go for it and impressed the producers. However, she had to wait for about one agonizing month before she was told she had clinched the role. She was ecstatic when she got the news. Madisakwane also auditioned for the role of the older Lebo Mathosa but failed to clinch it as it went to another actress.

Bahumi Madisakwane stars in Living The Dream With Somizi, a reality TV show that is focused on the glamorous lifestyle of her flamboyant father, Somizi. The show is quite popular among South Africans. Her appearance on the show lends credence to the fact that she and her father share a very harmonious father-daughter relationship.

The actress, who is also pursuing a Film Producing and Directing degree, also runs the Youth MC’ing Department at Rhema Bible Church and is heavily involved in a school outreach program which she used to assist and motivate underprivileged schools and students. The actress also has a YouTube channel that she used to interact with fans by documenting some aspects of her life, as well as making short skits and shooting short stories.

Acting Runs In Her Family

Interestingly, acting is something that runs in Bahumi Madisakwane bloodline. Apart from her parents who are South African actors, her grandparents are also actors. Bahumi Madisakwane’s paternal grandfather, Ndaba Mhlongo was a popular South African actor and comedian. He was highly respected in the industry and his comedy was described as ‘effortless’.

Also, Madisakwane’s paternal grandmother, Mary Twala was a South African actress who was also highly respected for her work and was even nominated for Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 2011. Apparently, the acting genes run deep in Bahumi Madisakwane’s blood.

Bahumi Madisakwane Suffers From An Incurable Health Condition

Madisakwane’s life is quite an inspiring one and her story encourages people to never let their problems stop them from chasing their dreams and accomplishing them. The actress actually has a health condition called Lymphedema, a swelling in an arm or leg that is caused by a lymphatic system blockage. The medical condition is caused by a blockage in the lymphatic system which is actually part of the immune and circulatory systems.

According to sources, the main symptom of Lymphedema is swelling in an arm or leg that may be accompanied by pain or discomfort. The sad part is that this medical condition is incurable. Some treatments can help in reducing pain and reducing swelling but the condition can’t be cured. It is believed that the actress may have been born with the condition but kept it hidden for a long time. She first gave a hint about her condition in an episode of the show Living The Dream With Somizi in 2017 but did not let fans know too much about it.

However, in April 2020, the actress proved that she has accepted her condition and was okay with people seeing her the way she is. She proved this when she shared a photo on her Instagram page showing her legs and how unequal they were.

Despite her condition, the actress has gone about accomplishing her work and doing what makes her happy. As a matter of fact, she has inspired many people with her story of resilience and has pulled a lot of fans to herself over the years. Many people have described the actress as a humble and down-to-earth person who works really hard and does not try to exploit her proximity to her father to cut corners. Apparently, she has found favor with the South African entertainment-loving public.

At the moment, it is not clear what Bahumi Madisakwane’s net worth is but it is clear she is doing very well financially. Also, her father has been very supportive of her career and has showered her with gifts in the past. In 2016, the man bought her a red Chevrolet to celebrate her 21st birthday.

 

Daniel Samuel
Daniel Samuel
With several years of experience dedicated to writing quality pieces through research-backed facts & figures combined with brilliant visuals & stories that entertain any audience - my mission is always clear – provide readers value through thoughtfully crafted sentences and paragraphs

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